There is a quiet shift in May, as spring begins to lean towards summer.
The light lingers longer, mornings arrive more softly, and the air begins to carry a quiet warmth. After the stillness of winter and early Spring, there is a natural sense of openness, a feeling that invites curiosity back in.
A quieter attention to what is already there.
In that spirit, May offers an opportunity to reconsider how we taste.
Chocolate is often approached simply, as something warm, comforting, and familiar, a daily ritual that asks very little of us beyond enjoyment. Yet cacao, in its pure form, carries far more than sweetness alone.
It carries complexity.
The Flavours of Cacao
To taste cacao fully is similar to tasting wine or coffee, where flavours unfold gradually rather than all at once, and where attention reveals layers that might otherwise pass unnoticed. Notes shift as the drink cools, and sensations move across the palate in ways that are subtle but distinct.
This is where the experience begins to deepen.
Cacao flavour notes are often described using terms such as bitterness, fruitiness, acidity, spice, and depth. At first, these can seem like technical language, something reserved for experts, yet they are simply ways of describing sensations that are already familiar to us.
Bitterness is often the first to arrive, not as something harsh, but as a grounding presence that gives structure to the cup and allows other flavours to emerge with clarity.
Alongside it, there is often a gentle fruitiness, a brightness that can recall berries, citrus, or dried fruit, lifting the flavour and bringing a sense of contrast that feels both light and precise.
Acidity follows in a similar way, not as sharpness, but as clarity, a clean edge that brings definition and allows each element to feel more distinct.
And then there is depth, something that lingers more quietly, a warmth that settles at the back of the palate and extends the experience beyond the first sip.
Together, these elements create something balanced, something that feels alive and continually shifting with attention.
Yet understanding these cacao flavour notes does not require training or precision.
It asks only for attention.
To begin tasting chocolate in this way
Slow down slightly and allow the experience to unfold at its own pace. A sip taken without urgency, a moment of pause before swallowing, a brief awareness of where the flavour first appears and how it changes over time.
There is no need to name everything exactly.
What matters is the act of noticing.
Over time, this awareness becomes more natural. Flavours that once felt indistinct begin to separate, and the experience becomes richer, not because anything has changed in the cup, but because attention has deepened.
In May, this kind of curiosity feels especially natural. As spring moves quietly towards summer, there is more light in which to notice, and more space in which to experience what might otherwise go unseen.
Hot chocolate, prepared from good cacao, becomes more than a drink.
It becomes something to explore.
Understanding the taste of chocolate is really about paying attention to the details before you even take a bite.
Kakaw co-founder, Szilard, has a specific routine
"I always start by checking the chocolate visually. A beautiful, glossy shine means it is perfectly tempered, while dull spots can show where fat or sugar crystals have formed.
Next, I lightly rub the piece with my thumb. That slight friction warms it up and releases the natural aromas before I even take a smell.
When it comes to tasting, I will let a solid piece sit on my tongue to see how long it takes to melt and how the flavours shift.
But my primary method is actually melting it in pure, hot water instead of milk; the same ancient technique the Mayans and Aztecs used. By stripping away the noise and the dairy that coats the palate, the pure flavours of the cacao are completely uncovered, whether that reveals a bright pop of fruit or a deep, grounding earthiness.
It is the best way to finally understand the true character of the cacao."
A May Ritual
If you feel drawn to taste cacao more intentionally, begin without expectation.
Prepare your hot chocolate as you usually would, and take a moment to sit with it somewhere quiet. Let the first sip arrive slowly, noticing what you experience before trying to describe it.
Return to the cup again, and see if something has shifted.
Let curiosity lead.
And if you find yourself in Kendal this May, you are always welcome. Our Kakaw coffee shop is a place to pause, to taste, and to experience cacao as it unfolds, one cup at a time.
Thank you for reading this month’s Chronicle.
As spring gives way to early summer, May offers a gentle invitation to look more closely, to taste more fully, and to find depth in what might otherwise pass unnoticed.
If this approach to tasting chocolate resonates, you are warmly invited to explore our collection of hot chocolates. Each cacao carries its own character, its own balance of bitterness, fruit, and depth, waiting to be discovered gradually and without urgency.
We can deliver them straight to your door, ready to be prepared and explored in your own time.
